Telegram-herald., 1887-05-09
THEATRESDEAOURCED
A. ssINo lNNoaA. ANo lNoec -.
Tbs Z tnFe4eenzt1s .sfeses ~ AssksAss
~ $40 tls nees seI Azts2s tAe
hhes'F tsss. Nleiaarasaa
A41ss - thx .IAze.

the@' - Ess. Nletaarasaas
Aas@s - tss sage
Rev ". p Rsehsrasaa. q the CAafca
of Carss preached lssi sfeasag ea sIhs
Nor4l intaeacs 81 the fhesus In ooa.-
nsaosn.snt he said Tie thszsrs - 81 ilssl-
teAo2. is ia.zaora ia is inaasaess sal
al s0gthy tie oCuuielsaae auo support
II mofsi ctizsss. Please nste tV9 isass
45ogt this pFoposifloa lie sa.a ilnst ii
1oes noi say hat every llsy is corrupt. noF
t1sl every actor s lgnmefsi. if paIgQf.s
~ state general facts regarding > popaleT
form g public sutsrtsil laeet. and 4oss noi
deny tas possibility of exceptions. bli
TatAes s0lld airat lten. Exceptions. 4
rare. cana9g overthrow l6e coIeil ilsi0as
dTssD ffou 3 generally prevailing rGie.
Plato ssFs Pays fs.se tile f.ks-
s!oas and pTefsut the Use oi
t-sln ald ~ colseQ 4ence are dangerous su
wofsity Df. johnson d7riale- Tie LlE-
llsh Stage ~ be place where .lrrsllsiUa
ana leenlloasutss aers laualt openly sl
TIE itauIlc charge "a Is not generally
kuosa. lefhsps that the American t'on-
erssz. s30n alter tie IecIarslol Of lnde-
penoencs, passed resolution aeeomllen1-
luE the seFeIsl clzses - pass iaas f0f tae
suppression vi theatres. entertain msnts -
being productive of idleaeSs. dissipation
aid general depray.iy Of principles nsd
manners Inis does not prove TIE iaeai Te
sn evil, put IL does a. least raise prsSamp-
uOn against is moral character
A veil known New York manager said
recently In she Aew YORK Hsesl8 The
stage today IS greater evil than any other
institution We have. Nothing else does 50
much harm 10 young men and youQg
women Of this citv.' lie declared that the
indellc4cies 0f The sage were never 80 great
a now. Frances Ann heh5ie one ol Tie
greatest artistes ever Oh the American stage,
after her retirement condemned the stage
and denounced 10 rs a business which Is \
public exhibition unworthy oi woman
In recent issue % the Boston IfensrrsDi
Louisa n. Aloott writes rs follows Of q fe-
cent play - one OF the theatres IN that
city of moral ideas "Lsst saturday afier-
noon party 81 little girls were taken 10
see this play The Ratcatcherl. The play
itself was harmless, the tunefal chaTmer
well acted the rats and peasant children
highly satisfactory bat the bale, spoiled
the entertainment Tor more than one party,
as wEs plainly shown by the disgust oi the
ladies and the comments Of the children.
Young as they were the eyes Of our three,
ranging from 10 10, the instincts OF these
buds Of women, were quick 10 SEE
and feel the immOdesiy OF the
pink ladies who didn't have enough
clothes on and kicked about Ia
the imprOperest way before ever 50 many
men. 4 row of lads IL front were evidently
taking their first lesson in modern morals,
and the grins. nudges and remarks Of these
boys were a sad comment on the careless
ness OF parents the blindness OF public
opinion, the folly Of trying 10 keep boys
clean minded, when such temptations are
set before them and indorsed by their eid-
ers. The flock Of girls ali about ua eating
candy and surveying the most audacious
poses Of the ballet with calm interest made
II impossible 70 help wondering what sort
of wives and mothers they would become If
at sixteen they could see. without Dlushing,
several hundred half naked girls before
them, as IN the Black Crook; could laugh
a; the vulgar Wit OF that silliest Of al plays,
Adoais. and troop eagerly 10 see Camille.
the courlesan, die IN lace and white cash
mere"
After speaking OF how generally lioea-
tious and corrupt the theatre has become
Mr. Richardson made some local comment
as follows: I'VE need not 90 away from
home for testimony. The bulletin boards
on our streets advertise the shameless char
acieT OF the theatre and show Il 70 be q
bin boards covered except With pictures Of
nude and semi-nude females or Of the
murderer hOarishing his revolver OF stab
bing with his knife. Passing along tho
street one day in this city, as
passed a group Of boys at play.
ole of them said: Boys, let's 60 down to
the bill boards ana see the pictures they
have put up there" adding some iniorma-
ton as 10 the character oi the pictures that
/ Gull
repeating And of they scampered 20 take
a lesson in vice. A msn was arrested on
the streets OF one Of our Western cities for
obscene literature bat was re
leased when il was shown that bis obscene
pictures were only advertisements for 8
theatrical matinee for women and children
These things are an ab0minaiiOD that ought
10 be suppressed but will not be So
long as Christians and moral people
continue 10 support the theatre
Are you aware Of the bsoluie
vile character Of the plays gwen the pubIc
in Grand Rapids hope not, unless your
knowledge comes 10 you as mine does 90
me, not from attendance upon them. bat
from the advertisements and press no.ices
which are found IN our local papers. let
me specify few facts. ] pass by ths low
variety theatre, which al really decent peo-
pie avoid. and whose work j. that q sys-
coTuptiug the BOYS and crafty
ing The evil cFes Of older sinner IWiu
not mention even the places where anv
suspicion Of cheapness or lrierionfy could
hud cTfde1cc. but ! cite the ore hrst ciass
Opera House our city bOasis, where. u any
where. we mast expect 10 fnd
high moral tone perysCing the
plays there presented viz Powe-s' Opera
house What is fbe character of tbe pisvs
there presented Look a. few n The titles
0f pisys exhibited there during The present
season a soap Bubbie. 20, What .
Night. irish Arsiocracy, Pa. feel
Ike saying Bah a Pair 0l Kids " Ranch
10 "NuEgs landing etc. indicating 81
nothing else, the utterly n0nsensscal nature
Of these representations. Bot thev sre
worse than foolish. n ve 1DaT ie efe tie
obscene pictures by p hich mans 81 fhefa
we're s1verii ised ard the press notices In 8ur
papers. 0f fbe Devils Auction re are
told y the s1shuig stared femaie be.ng
hne-l0rne1 person snd fLzt sbs
vas Tspturouslv e1c1re8. Speaking II
Miss fi1isg, tie paper states
If is not e. much hsr
al hat attracts as her wcn3effa rsturai
giFs ~he ie be- tifli su1 s1sp<
woman. rpfsEing 81 So orsrs fbs ta.er
saTs- fhe catrts di1 reTF sssIscforv
work. srd TIE oeC rFsnts q t.e fronf sasls
f1uni three or soar rerg raoi e1r.rr eiris
on he sfsss - iessi tasiT eTts D0n Then
f1.so~e1 q statement nl fte sttire ef ore ~
ls females ftss is TOO fouae sacgesor ~ -
p Fs7ed 81 rae cour1rs ~ p decent Esr.e-
NJ here rne ta|ef a 0srt'rs TIE lisfs ere
rf'rr vie - r8 ns bars te~s drrwn